Suspected drunken driver in crash killing Michigan family of 5 was ‘absolutely flying’ wrong way on highway

Updated January 7, 2019 at 7:37 AM;Posted January 7, 2019 at 7:17 AM

In this photo provided by LEX18, police officers and firefighters work at the scene of a deadly crash on Interstate 75 in Lexington, Ky., Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019. A suspected drunken driver heading the wrong way on a pickup truck struck a vehicle carrying several family members from Michigan early Sunday, killing all occupants of the vehicle, along with the pickup's driver, authorities said. (LEX18 via AP) ((LEX18 via AP))

One man told a Kentucky TV station that he had to swerve out of the way to miss the speeding pickup just before it smashed head-on into the vehicle carrying the Abbas family from Northville, engulfing the family’s SUV in flames.

“I thought I was seeing something, honestly,” Kenneth DeGraaf told WLEX-TV, describing how he saw the wrong-way pickup coming at his vehicle moments before the fiery crash. “He was in the center lane. I was in the center lane. I had to merge out of the way at the last second to get to the right lane. I mean, he was flying. Absolutely flying.”

Authorities have identified the Michigan family members who died in the crash as Issam Abbas, 42 and Rima Abbas, 38, along with their children, a boy,av Ali Abbas, 14; and girls Isabella Abbas, 13, and Giselle Abbas, 7.

The family was returning from a vacation in Florida when the collision happened early Sunday, the Fayette County coroner’s office said, according to the Associated Press.

The driver of the white pickup was Joey Lee Bailey, 41, of Georgetown. His pickup was traveling south in the highway’s northbound lanes when it struck the family’s vehicle around 2:30 a.m.

Authorities believe Bailey was driving under the influence at the time of the crash, the AP reported. Toxicology tests were planned.

Services for the Abbas family are being held through Tuesday at the Islamic Center of America of Dearborn.

A relative of the family, Habib Abbas of Dearborn, told The Detroit News that when he first heard about the crash he didn’t believe it was true.

“I thought it was a rumor or something and then saw it again and called her sister. She and the family are even more in denial,” Abbas said, according to the AP.

Issam Abbas was a lawyer and Rima Abbas was a doctor, he said.

“You don’t expect a whole family to get wiped out,” he said. “You think to yourself ‘What’s the worst case scenario?’ and that’s it.”

“We are devastated by the tragic loss of Dr. Rima Abbas, her beloved husband and children. She was a caring mother and a dedicated family practice physician. Our hearts go out to all of her family, friends and patients during this difficult time," Dr. David Wood, Beaumont Health’s chief medical officer, said in a statement.

Her Garden City office will be closed today, and hospital staff are in the process of notifying her patients.

#DEARBORN (TCD) | TCD sends its condolences to the Abbas Family on the tragic loss of Issam Abbas (42), Dr. Rima Abbas...